Geelong Advertiser
Wednesday 27/6/2007 Page: 28
WIND turbines lining Victoria's coast, more solar power, underground emission storage and carbon trading are all needed for Australia to reach critical sustainable energy targets, Shell International's climate change guru David Hone said yesterday. The former Geelong refinery engineer said that within 20 years 3000 of the biggest wind turbines should line the state's coast and solar power projects laid out, under government-backed clean energy initiatives.
Mr Hone outlined five sectors that needed drastic change, including power generation, transport, buildings, consumer behaviour, and emissions from industry and manufacturing. A carbon trading scheme was also essential for CO2-emitting plants, such as Shell's Geelong operations, to operate beyond 2025 under strict new laws governing firm's "carbon footprints". Mr Hone said the scheme was fundamental to allow businesses to survive and allowing market forces to dictate individual companies' green performances without government intervention.
But the carbon expert refused to comment on both parties' sustainable energy policies in the lead up to this year's Federal election. Mr Hone just called for bi-partisan support. "These are policies that need to be implemented over decades not just for four years," he said. "It's clearly an issue that's being discussed and the fact that the debate is starting is what we encourage."
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